12 June 2013, Rome - Thirty-eight countries have met
internationally-established targets in the fight against hunger,
chalking up successes ahead of a deadline set for 2015, FAO
confirmed today.

“These countries are leading the way to a better future. They are
proof that with strong political will, coordination and
cooperation, it is possible to achieve rapid and lasting
reductions in hunger,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da
Silva said.

Graziano da Silva urged all countries to keep up the momentum,
aiming for the complete eradication of hunger, in keeping with
the Zero Hunger Challenge launched in 2012 by United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“Globally, hunger has declined over the past decade, but 870
million people are still undernourished, and millions of others
suffer the consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies,
including child stunting,” the FAO chief said.

“We need to keep up our efforts, until everyone can live healthy,
productive lives.”

Success stories

Twenty countries have satisfied Millennium Development Goal (MDG)
number one, to halve the proportion of hungry people. Their
progress was measured between 1990-92 and 2010-2012, against
benchmarks established by the international community at the UN
General Assembly in 2000.

An additional 18 countries were congratulated for reaching both
MDG 1 and the more stringent World Food Summit (WFS) goal, having
reduced by half the absolute number of undernourished people
between 1990-92 and 2010-2012.

The WFS goal was set in 1996, when 180 nations met at FAO
headquarters to discuss ways to end hunger.

The countries will be honored in a high-level ceremony at FAO
headquarters on 16 June, during the week-long meeting of the FAO
Conference, the organization’s highest governing body.

Millions still hungry

According to the State
of Food Insecurity in the World 2012, the vast majority of
the hungry, 852 million, live in developing countries -- around
15 percent of their population -- while 16 million people are
undernourished in developed countries.

Also, despite the overall downward trend and national successes,
hunger has been on the rise in Africa, in recent years.

Globally, food insecurity today is largely a problem of access to
the resources or services needed by families to produce,
purchase, or otherwise obtain enough nutritious food.

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in providing access to food.
More than 70 percent of the poor live in rural areas and most of
them depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their
livelihoods. Raising agricultural productivity is therefore an
important element in improving access to food.

The FAO Director-General said he was encouraged by signs of
increased commitment in many countries to ending hunger and
malnutrition through sustainable agriculture and development,
including participation in regional programs inspired by the Zero
Hunger Challenge.